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Worldwide Universities Network WUN Essentials 2013-2014 ANNUAL REPORT 2013-2014 WORLDWIDE UNIVERSITIES NETWORK WUN ESSENTIALS 2013-2014 Reputation WUN continues to develop as a leading network of international peer research universities. WUN is invited increasingly to partner and participate in global fora with agencies and governments, bringing evidence-based policy options and solutions. Research The focus of WUN research is regularly reviewed for quality, relevance and translation, in public health, climate and food, higher education and cultural understanding. Relationships The 17 partners of WUN engage with WUN Plus members and stakeholders to source the best global talent, create opportunities that accelerate internationalisation, and build sustainable teams. Resources As a result of its track record of success in innovation and application, WUN is steadily increasing its productivity and success in attracting resources for its operations. Reforms WUN aspires to serve as an experimental laboratory for internationalisation in higher education and research, building a model of the collaborative world university with strong governance and delivery. Vital Statistics 2014: 17 Members, 202 WUN Plus Partners, 4 Global Challenges, 98 Interdisciplinary Research Groups, 2000+ researchers, 16 Strategic Workshops, 275 Academic Publications, Over 20 Funding Grants from External Organisations, 20+ engagements in policy development. TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction from the Chair 2 Introduction from the Executive Director 3 Academic Advisory Group 4 Invitation to Hong Kong 2015 & Maastricht 2016 5 Strategic Directions 6 WUN Strategy Map 7 WUN Conference and AGM 2014 8 Global Challenge: Responding to Climate Change 10 Global Challenge: Global Higher Education and Research 13 Global Challenge: Public Health 15 Global Challenge: Understanding Cultures 18 Fostering the Next Generation of Researchers 20 WUN Research Investments 21 Partner with Us 22 Conferences, Events and Strategic Workshops 23 Leadership and Governance 24 List of WUN Interdisciplinary Research Groups 26 1 INTRODUCTION FROM THE CHAIR We live in a dynamic world with urgent and complex challenges. Finding solutions to these pressing issues requires teamwork, leadership and innovation. The Worldwide Universities Network (WUN) is dedicated to combining resources, and creating and sharing knowledge in order to address these problems. As Chair of WUN, I am proud of what we have been able to accomplish this year. Our success is an indication of the demand and need for global research teamwork – we have been able to take advantage of the excellent opportunities available for international research collaboration. As members of a global network of research-intensive universities, we recognise the value of partnership. The pooling of resources opens up tremendous new possibilities by maximising the reach and scope of our work. It has helped us proactively identify and address the dynamic challenges that our world faces. The network now consists of 17 member universities, located in 10 countries on five continents, and the WUN research portfolio has grown significantly – we now boast 98 active IRGs (Interdisciplinary Research Groups). I am proud of the fact that we have been able to increase our research investments over the past few years. In 2012 and 2013 alone, we directly invested £525,786 in international research collaboration amongst our partners, which leverages many times that amount in external grants and resources. I credit our success in increasing our research investments and widening our research partnerships to the inspired and active leadership at all levels of WUN. This type of leadership is vital – and will help ensure the network’s continued growth and success. It has helped us strengthen and enhance the focus of the WUN Global Challenges program, which is built around four themes: Responding to Climate Change; Global Higher Education and Research; Public Health; and Understanding Cultures. This program, which was established in 2009, has enabled us to engage the global community and connect with prolific partners such as the United Nations Foundation, the World Bank Institute, the OECD and the World Health Organization, in order to find solutions to issues of global significance around our four themes. I encourage you to review the WUN 2013-2014 Annual Report, which outlines our achievements of the past year. As I finish my term as Chair, I must add that it has truly been an honour and a privilege to serve WUN in this capacity, and be a part of its recent success. With such strong talent and leadership in place, I am confident that WUN will continue to support and strengthen its circle of international, interdisciplinary research partnerships, and create and apply new knowledge to find solutions to our most pressing global challenges. Indira V Samarasekera, O.C. Chair, WUN Partnership Board President and Vice-Chancellor, University of Alberta 2 INTRODUCTION FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Reading our annual reports from the past three years one sees encouraging trends. The achievements give us confidence that WUN is serving as an experimental laboratory for international cooperation in higher education and research, providing opportunities for emerging and established researchers, focusing on a few global challenges, and working on frontier initiatives for the future. The evidence for this progress is our profile with 17 peer research universities; strengthening relationships with many other “WUN Plus” (WUN+) partners from academia, international agencies, government, business and NGOs; increased productivity in publications, resources and grants; and engagement in policy options, mobility and visibility in international fora. These “WUN Essentials” are listed inside the front cover of this report. A highlight has been the effectiveness of our strategic workshops around the world. These focus on practical outcomes with sustainable programmes and projects that are relevant to a global approach appropriate to our partnership. In addition, WUN scholars and experts work increasingly with the research associations and societies where a joint session or satellite meeting can build teamwork. This annual report presents just 10 examples of the work of WUN in its four global challenges, 98 interdisciplinary research groups (IRGs), over 2,000 researchers and the associated conferences, workshops and virtual seminars. Increasingly, we are looking for ways to translate the knowledge and experience gained from our experiments to benefit scholars and students who are interested in accelerating their international participation, because that is the future for us all. These advances are set to go faster, as are the fundamental reforms that are approaching higher education and research around the world. WUN, from its University Presidents to its graduate students, can contribute as thought leaders and operational players in these debates and their policy outcomes. Reaching a balance is vital to achieve innovation alongside the strengths of traditional education, deal with access and equity in a complex world, and bring new ideas that could enhance quality and reduce spiralling costs. These high ambitions are supported by the progress of WUN in its leadership, governance and professional management, including the Partnership Board (Presidents), Academic Advisory Group (Vice Presidents), and Coordinators and Research Managers on each campus who stimulate and facilitate the organic growth of WUN programmes in research and education. Our small central Secretariat of three people in Sydney (2 FTE), and three in Leeds (1FTE) is very busy. As such, with the contributions from each partner and those of our many stakeholders, we present a model for a Global University that brings in much of the world and will develop in its partnership to be even more inclusive. Of course there are also obstacles, as with any pioneering or innovative endeavour. In the past five years we have gained eight new partners but lost three for different reasons: largely attributable to resource issues around the ripples of the Global Financial Crisis that reached academia rather later than they did the finance and business sectors. We are responding actively with a focused recruitment and retention program, and encourage those who share our ambition and our research strengths to consider joining us as Partners or as WUN Plus members. As always, I thank all those engaged with WUN for their commitment, energy and hard work. A special thank you to Indira Samarasekera (Alberta), who completes her two year term as our Partnership Board Chair; and to Max Price (Cape Town) who commences as Chair for the term 2014-16. As a global university research network, many of our meetings are by teleconferences. The fact that these are always so well attended by faculty and staff is extraordinary, especially when it means inevitably that some participants are working at all hours of the night. John Hearn Executive Director, Worldwide Universities Network 3 ACADEMIC ADVISORY GROUP The WUN Academic Advisory Group (AAG) was again pleased to welcome a number of new members in 2013, but also sad to see some of its past members move on to new activities. The network is growing overall and the spread of universities across the globe is providing significant opportunities for us to address the Global Challenges with a truly global capability. All members have actively participated in lively discussions around our research and its impact and have provided new and diverse insights into the challenges
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